The Whitney Museum has just joined Foursquare, a bit of social media marketing that would be a lot less newsworthy if it hadn’t also occasioned the creation of a Whitney badge that gives those of us who can’t really afford the UES museum’s price a significantly reduced $5 entrance fee (for a limited time, and only once, of course).

In an announcement sent out yesterday, the Whitney explained that in order to unlock the Whitneyphile badge (which, when shown on your smartphone as you purchase your ticket, provides said $5 entrance though May 31, 2011), one must check into the museum’s Madison Avenue location twice, and once to one of the following related sites:

So go forth (“fourth”?), get those Foursquare check-ins and visit the Whitney for much less than the normal price (of course, once you factor in the new phone, as I will have to do, this might not be such an awesome deal, but who cares).